Attractive Forces
by jane3876
Summary: He eyed her for a moment over the rim of his glass before setting it down with a decisive clang. He stuck his hand out toward her. "Name's Natsu Dragoneel." Her smile turned genuine as she gently clasped his rough fingers in her smaller, smoother hand. "Lucy Heartfilia. Welcome to Magnolia." Or how Lucy and Natsu met in a dark bar one night. AU
1. Part I

**Attractive Forces**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. I'm just using them for my amusement._

"Excuse me, miss? I ordered a coffee a few minutes ago but I can't seem to find my waitress."

Lucy turned toward the voice, her face set into a friendly smile. "Of course, sir. I'll take care of that right away." Reaching forward with one hand, she grabbed his empty coffee mug and with one last apologetic smile, she placed it on the tray in her other arm with the other dirty dishes and turned toward the kitchen. Before she could take a step, two children darted around her legs with loud squeals. The hum and bustle of the busy restaurant disguised the soft curse that spilled from her lips as she righted her tray and quickly made her way out of the crowded dining area and into the back kitchen. Setting the tray down with a sigh, she blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Where the hell is Sherry?" Lucy asked the kitchen at large as she dumped the dishes into the dish pit, her mouth twisted into a scowl. "She left for a break twenty minutes ago! Her tables are getting pissed and I already have four of my own."

Behind her, one of the cooks scoffed. "She's probably still on her phone. She looked kind of upset when she left. Something about her boyfriend. In any case, I've got your steak and sea bass for table six."

Nodding, Lucy pushed the matter from her mind in favor of gathering her orders, grabbing a fresh mug and coffee pot on her way out. Once she saw the food to her table and made sure her customers were satisfied, she went back to the man's table, setting the clean mug down and filling it with coffee. "I'm sorry about the wait, sir. We're a little short staffed tonight." The man waved her apology away with a smile.

"It's fine, I understand. Thank you."

Lucy nodded and left with one last smile, her eyes turning to scan her four tables, checking to make sure all of them were taken care of. Seeing that everything was fine, she made her to the server's station. Leaning back against the counter, she closed her eyes and sighed gustily. Beside her, her coworker Levy smiled.

"Rough tables?" she asked, turning to the computer mounted on the counter to plug in her table's orders so she could print out their receipt.

Lucy opened her eyes and made a face. "No, my tables are fine. But Sherry is apparently having a relationship crisis and now I have to deal with her tables as well as mine." Looking down at her phone, she cursed. "And I was supposed to get off half an hour ago."

Levy pulled her receipt from the printer and sent her friend a smile as she made her way back to the dining area. "Just go find Sherry. I'm sure she just lost track of time."

_Not likely,_ Lucy mused with a frown just as she was flagged down by another customer. Due to the sudden influx of customers, her boss managed to convince her to work for the rest of the next shift, telling her she would get the next day off to give her a break.

Lucy didn't get another chance to breathe until the last customer walked out and she was able to finally untie her apron from around her waist. Waving to her coworkers, she grabbed her things and left the restaurant, breathing in deeply the crisp fall air as she made her way down the sidewalk.

Sometimes, she often questioned her decision to move to Magnolia as young as she did. She had left at the age of eighteen, bright eyed and bushy tailed determined to see as much of the world as she could. She had met many interesting people on the way before she stumbled upon the town and fallen in love. It was such a quiet town, safe community where everyone knew everyone else but managed to keep most of their business to themselves. It was simply a charming town with warm, inviting people.

But right now, still wired from working a twelve hour shift on little to no sleep, the last thing Lucy needed was quiet. And that was how she found herself slumping into a bar stool in one of the less reputable bars Magnolia had to offer. While the cracked, war weathered furniture and staff might be off putting for some, for Lucy it was like being on the road again. And it allowed her to breathe for the first time that night and begin to unwind.

"Well, if it isn't beautiful Lucy! What can I get for you today, princess?"

Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile at the bartender. "Dial it back a bit, Loke. I just got off a double."

He winced in sympathy, his dark eyes glinting at her with mischief. "Scotch on the rocks?" he asked, already reaching down for a glass. She nodded with a grateful smile, giving a heartfelt sigh when the first taste of the bitter drink touched her lips.

"You're a life saver. How's business tonight?" she asked, leaning an elbow on the bar top and resting her cheek in cup of her hand.

Loke shrugged, brushing a lock of his light brown hair from his eyes. "So far, uneventful. No fights or anything. But the night is still young and the men still stupid. I doubt it will stay this peaceful."

She chuckled, turning her eyes down into her drink. Loke, seeing she was occupied with her own thoughts, moved to see to his other customers and leaving her in peace. If there was one thing he understood, it was wanting to unwind after a long day and simply be left alone.

Lucy rolled her cool glass between her palms, her mind sluggishly drifting from thought to thought before she was brought back to the present by another body sliding into the stood next to her. The first thing she was struck by was the scent that followed him. He smelled faintly of burning wood and heat and something entirely male. The second thing she noticed was his shocking stock of salmon hair.

She must have been a little too obvious with her staring because his eyes slide toward her and one single matching eyebrow rose at her. Choking slightly on her sip of scotch, she gently set her glass down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she rasped once she caught her breath. "It's just…"

His lips, very smooth lips she distantly noticed, quirked up at the corners. "It's the hair, right?"

She bit her lip to stave off a laugh and silently nodded. He rolled his eyes, a grin on his face. "I get that a lot. I'll go ahead and tell you it's unfortunately natural."

She eyed his face for a moment, taking in the sharp angles of his face, the slight slant of his dark eyes and slightly crooked slope of his nose. Overall, he was a very attractive man. But you could tell from the set of his shoulders and the faint lines around his mouth that he had lived a full life even though he looked only a few years older than Lucy herself. "You're not from around here, are you?" The accent alone was enough to tip her off. Most of the locals that she had come across had a Midwestern accent and carefully enunciated each word. His voice, however, had to subtle intones of Scotland.

"Fireball whiskey," Natsu said to Loke once the bartender came up. She signaled for a refill once Loke had slid the stranger his drink. "What gave me away?" he asked raising his glass to his lips with a smirk.

She smiled back at him, nodding her thanks to Loke. "The hair for one. It's hard to miss and I doubt I would have missed it. And also the accent. Scotland?"

His eyebrow rose a little higher and his grin was wide. "Most people don't pick up on that."

She shrugged her shoulder carelessly, her eyes glinting in challenge. "I traveled a lot before I settled here," she said by way of explanation.

He eyed her for a moment over the rim of his glass before setting it down with a decisive clang. He stuck his hand out toward her. "Name's Natsu Dragneel."

Her smiled turned genuine as she gently clasped his rough fingers in her smaller, smoother hand. "Lucy Heartfilia. Welcome to Magnolia."

* * *

"Lucy, I've got your table thirteen and twenty! Keep the line moving!"

On the fly, Lucy smoothly slid her armful of dirty plates into the dish pit, turning on her heel and bent to firmly hoist the tray with her orders. Dodging other servers and wayward children, she managed to place the plates on the proper tables without spilling or tripping before turning to another table and quickly clearing the dirty dishes onto the empty tray and heading back to the kitchen.

"Lucy, you got a walk in, table twenty two," Levy called on her way to the kitchen. Lucy gave an absent nod as she handed her tray off to a coworker with a grateful smile.

Taking a deep breath, she strode to her table, digging into her apron for the notepad and pen and flashing a bright smile. "Welcome to El Royal! My name is Lucy and I'll be your server tod—oh, it's you." The last part of her speech was decidedly less bright and cheery and more surprised. In front of her, Natsu grinned cheekily and set the menu that had been obscuring his face on the table top. "What are you doing here, Natsu?"

Ever since the night they had met a week ago, Lucy had been seeing Natsu around town relatively frequently. It seemed that he was either in for a long stay or a permanent one. They hadn't talked much since that night, just waved and exchanged hellos. But that didn't mean that Lucy didn't still appreciate just how finely shaped his face was or just how well his t-shirts framed his muscular build. In fact, she had often found herself imagining just what was underneath his shirts more than a few times to her embarrassment.

"Well, I heard from a friend that I could get a mean sea bass and I thought I would check it out." He replied, his eyes glinting like warm emeralds.

Setting her hand on her hip, she smirked at him. "What friends? You've been here a week."

His smirk only grew. "That's my secret to tell."

She rolled her eyes at him, her lips quirking in amusement. "Yeah, yeah. What will you have?"

"I'll have the sea bass, a cheeseburger, the roast beef, an extra order or fries and a chocolate milkshake."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you meeting someone?"

His grin was all teeth. "Nope. Just me."

"Where do you put it all?" she asked incredulously, eyeing his trim stomach.

He shrugged at her, not in least bit embarrassed. "I have a high metabolism."

She shook her head and left to go place his order. If there was one thing she had picked up in high school from dating the star quarterback it was to never judge a man by his size. Even the leanest man could pack away enough food for three normal men if he was motivated enough.

Unfortunately, a party of ten was seated in Lucy's section and she was far too busy to stay and chat with Natsu about his stay in Magnolia so far. By the time she could breathe again, he was already gone, a generous tip and a stack of dirty dishes in his wake. Scolding herself for being disappointed, she set about cleaning his table. It was when she was reaching for his receipt and tip that she noticed something written on the back. Turning it over, she bit her lip when she saw what he had written.

_Sea bass was awful, but at least you guys can cook a good hamburger. Meet me at the bar tonight so I can kick your ass at darts._

_Natsu_

* * *

When Lucy pushed open the door to the bar, she was greeted by the sound of raised voices and crashing furniture. All the sounds of a classic bar fight. Rolling her eyes, she carefully avoided any flying furniture and sat at her usual spot at the bar top in front of an amused Loke.

"Who is it this time?" she asked, turning in her seat to watch the fight.

"The new guy actually. And Gray."

Lucy's eyebrows almost reached her hairline. "Natsu and Gray? What caused that fight?" The idea of Gray starting a fight with a complete stranger was a bit of a shock to her. He was so cool and collected most of the time that she was amazed Natsu had managed to piss him off enough in a week to get them to fight. It usually took Lucy half a bottle of scotch and a few loose buttons to get more than a grunt from the man.

"Not sure," Loke said, leaning on his elbows, his eyes still carefully on the fight. If it got too rough, he would have to go break it up. But it looked to be winding down. "Natsu came in like a tornado, yelling something about darts when Gray said something to him about keeping his voice down. The next thing I know, they're throwing chairs."

Lucy opened her mouth to comment when she caught sight of Natsu's pink head as he landed one last solid punch to Gray's stomach and he turned to the sound of her voice. His face broke out into a bright smile as he made his way over casually, leaving Gray gasping for breath behind him.

"Lucy! I thought you would be intimidated by my awesome skills at darts and wouldn't bother showing up."

She smiled at him and rolled her eyes. "As if. I'll have you know that I took archery in high school and I have wicked aim. Bring it, pink puff."

His eyes were bright with challenge when they met hers and he tapped his glass gently against hers with a sharp grin. "You asked for it, Luce. Don't say I didn't warn you."

She ignored the thrill hearing her name roll off his tongue gave her and drained the last of her drink in one go, slamming the glass down on the bar top. "Let's do this."

Two hours and most of a bottle of scotch later, Lucy leaned her cheek against her palm and looked at Natsu, her vision a tad bit blurry on the edges and her head pleasantly light.

"So what did you and Gray fight about? That guy is as cool as a cucumber most of the time. How did you piss him off so quickly?"

Natsu snorted into his glass, not showing even the slightest hint of the bottle of fireball whisky he had polished off, the bastard. "That ice princess? We served together in the army a few years ago. He was the friend that told me about your restaurant."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You were in the army?"

His eyes got a little bit darker and his smile dimmed a bit. "Yeah. I joined when I turned eighteen. Thought I was helping our country and all that bullshit. No one bothered telling me what exactly 'serving our country' would involve though. I didn't last very long. I have a thing with authority. I usually tend to ignore when I'm told not to do something."

Lucy scoffed. "Somehow, I'm not at all surprised by that." He simply grinned at her. "So what brings you to Magnolia?"

"I heard Gray talking about it a few times when we served together and a few of our friends live nearby so I figured I would give it a try for a while, see what happens." He shrugged, shooting back the last of his whiskey in one go.

"What are you doing in the meantime?" she asked, carefully setting her own bottle away from herself. She was already pleasantly buzzed and she didn't want to get much more than that. She had to work tomorrow and dealing with customers while supporting a hangover was a bitch.

"I thought I would join the firehouse for a little bit. I don't mind the hard labor or the fire."

She nodded, musing the thought of Natsu in the firefighter's uniform, covered in soot and smelling heavily of smoke and ash. It somehow fit him. They spent most of the night that way, idle conversation and slow smiles until Lucy's eyes were struggling to stay open and she yawned every few minutes.

"Looks like it's time to head home," Natsu said after Lucy was cut off in the middle of a sentence with a jaw cracking yawn.

Lucy smiled sheepishly and got up with him as he went to pay his tab. "Sorry. I've been up close to eighteen hours." When she reached for her own receipt, her hand was intercepted by Natsu's who placed it on top of his own and handing Loke his card. "You don't have to do that," she protested in surprise but he only wove her objections away.

"I'm the one that wanted you to come. It's my treat."

Her smile turned soft around the edges. "Thanks."

As they stepped out of the bar, Lucy stuffed her hands into her coat pockets, taking a deep breath of the chilly air and letting it go with a soft sigh. She felt him approach more than heard him, heat radiating from him like a furnace. She tilted her head to the side to look up into his face, her smile still firmly in place but a light dusting of pink around her cheeks.

"Thanks for tonight. I had fun," she said, trying not to fidget.

He looked down at her, his eyes dark even in the glow of the street light and the smile on his face was enigmatic. "We should do this again sometime."

She nodded, her blush darkening a little bit as she avoided his steady gaze, causing a lock of blond hair to fall into her eyes. Before she could reach up to fix it, a large, warm hand beat her too it, brushing it off and tucking it behind her ear. His finger gently traced the curve of her cheek, leaving a trail of warmth behind it and Lucy looked up at him, her lips parting the slightest bit as her heart hammered hard in her chest. His eyes never left hers as he lowered his head toward her. She could see how carefully he watched her features, looking for the slightest bit of hesitance and he would pull away. But she didn't give him a reason to. Her eyes grew heavy lidded as she tilted her chin, her lips meeting his half way in a soft caress.

She sighed at the warmth that his lips gave off, her hand coming up to cup the back of his neck and press him just a little bit closer. Her eyes slid closed as she focused all her attention on the slide of his lips on hers and the wet warmth of his tongue as it traced the seam of her lips, asking for permission to press further. With a slight shudder, Lucy took half a step closer, pressing her body against his tightly and opened her mouth to him.

The kiss turned intense and passionate as his hands fell to her hips and pressed her against him even tighter and her arms wound their way around his neck. His breaths were coming in fast and ragged as he tilted his head to get a better angle and deepen the kiss further. The taste of him was all spice and heat and Lucy couldn't seem to get enough.

After a few more heady moments, Natsu pulled away enough to press his forehead against hers. His hot breath fanned over her wet lips and Lucy licked them on reflex, reveling in the lingering taste of him.

"I will definitely do that again," he whispered. "But not right now." He pulled away slowly, his hands lingering on her hips a moment before sliding away. She shuddered the slightest bit at the loss of his warmth but her lips tipped up into a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with lust and the thrill of a new chase.

"I'll look forward to it, Dragneel."

* * *

_(AN: I'm not entirely sure where this came from except that my dad recently told me how he met my mom and it was a little bit like this. Plus, I was feel some intense Nalu AU in me but I'm a little stuck on my other two stories at the moment. And it's a convenient excuse to avoid studying. I'm also not sure why I made Natsu Scottish, so don't think too much about it. I hope I didn't make them too OOC, I tried to keep as close to their characters as an AU can get. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! I adore you all!)_

Jane


	2. Part II

_Part II_

"Hey, Luce…you still awake?"

A deep male voice whispered in the darkness of the bedroom. The moon hung high in the night sky, the brilliant reflection of it shining onto the sheets and illuminating two figures tangled in its grasp. Pink hair and blond locks gently brushed against each other as the blond head shifted with a soft murmur, thick with sleep.

"I am now. What is it, Natsu?"

One broad hand immerged from the sheets to gently brush against the soft curve of her cheek. Blond eyelashes gently fluttered before lifting to reveal big brown eyes that were muddled around the edges.

Natsu gently brushed his lips against her forehead, his eyes trained on the wall opposite him and his face set into serious lines.

"How long have we been seeing each other?"

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed and she craned her neck to look up at his face. "Around four months. Why?"

He paused a moment, as if contemplating exactly how he was going to phrase what was on his mind. She waited patiently, her hands tracing familiar patterns along the naked expanse of his chest, relishing in the warmth he gave off.

"What if…I wanted you to move in with me?"

Her eyes blinked a few times as she struggled to process exactly what he was asking. "As in live together?"

He smirked down at her, his eyes twinkling with mirth and the slightest hint of nerves. "No, I meant I just wanted your stuff but not you with it."

She gently swatted at him but the motion was halfhearted at best. Her cheeks warmed but her lips didn't bother to hide her bright smile. She buried her face in the expanse of his chest, happiness warm in her belly. "Yeah, I guess I wouldn't mind that too much. It certainly makes things simpler for me since you live closer to the restaurant than I do."

He huffed in laughter. "Thank God it wouldn't put you out too much. I wouldn't want you inconvenienced, princess."

With a small giggle, Lucy surged up and over him so that her knees rested on the bed on either side of his hips. Resting her hands on his chest, she leaned forward, uncaring of her nudity or how his eyes were immediately drawn to the gentle swaying of her breasts. "Good. You know how I get when I'm inconvenienced, Dragneel. I _always_ get my way in the end." To punctuate her statement, she bucked her hips against his, drawing a groan from deep in his throat.

Natsu brought his hands up to clasp her around her waist, his eyes holding hers fast, the dark emerald darkening further with lust. "Maybe, but you also love a good fight. And I'm always willing to oblige."

She smirked at the familiar tones of his accent getting thicker in his passion. There was something entirely criminal about the way he sounded when he was set on seduction, the way the words would just roll off his skilled tongue and fill the air. Nothing could arouse her quicker.

"Now, Mr. Dragneel. I believe I have some ground rules I would like to bring to attention before we move further."

His hips snapped up against hers and she bit her lip against a moan, her eyes sliding to half-mast. "Lay it on me."

She snorted and rolled her hips in retaliation, trying to ignore the goose bumps his hands cause as they traced the lines of her back. Leaning forward until their mouths were a breath apart, she whispered against his lips, "I don't want to overload you right now, so I'll just stick to my number one, nonnegotiable rule." She brushed her lips across his cheek, down the line of his jaw to cords of his neck. Her tongue flicked out to taste him and she felt his chest vibrate with his moan. "Rule number one: Under no conditions are there allowed to be clothes in this bed. _Ever_."

With a rough growl, Natsu lifted his hips and twisted so she was underneath him, sliding into her heat in one smooth, familiar motion. "I think I can get behind that, Luce."

* * *

Natsu pushed open the door to his and Lucy's apartment with a deep, exhausted sigh. One dirty, soot covered hand came up to rub over his face and his shoulder were slumped with a bone deep kind of tired. He had just got done with a 48 hour shift at the firehouse and while it had started out relatively calm, as calm as fifteen men stuck in one building for hours can be, it certainly didn't end that way. An apartment building on the edge of Magnolia had caught fire and unfortunately a group of three children got stuck in one of the apartments on the top floor. It had been a stressful, dangerous rescue and one of his coworkers had almost broken a leg when a floor had caved, sending the burning furniture with it. They had managed to get everyone out, but it had been a close call. Natsu was more than ready to wash away the day in a long shower then curl around Lucy and sleep for the next two days.

But as he stepped through their apartment door and heard the sound of the radio coming from the kitchen, he knew a long nap most likely wasn't going to be in his cards. Shaking his head a little bit, he decided to just jump in the shower and then see about convincing his girlfriend to take a nap with him, maybe, depending how he felt after his shower, a little more than napping.

With a grin on his face and a little bit more energy at the thought of the possible night ahead, Natsu headed straight to the shower, stripping his dirty clothes as he went.

Fifteen glorious minutes later, Natsu was clean and feeling pretty great as he headed to the kitchen to see what exactly it was his girlfriend was doing. As he approached, he caught the sound of another voice joining that of the singer's coming from the radio and had to grin. It wasn't often that he heard Lucy singing and he stopped a moment to simply listen. She wasn't that bad. The way her smooth voice lifted and carried along those of the radio, he would actually venture to say she was pretty good. He didn't bother to keep his steps quiet as he made his way to the kitchen, knowing she wouldn't hear him. When he did finally catch sight of her, he fought not to throw back his head in laughter.

She was dressed for bed in her sleep shorts that barely covered her shapely ass and a worn tank top. And as she bounced and swayed to the music, he could easily tell she also wasn't wearing a bra. Her eyes were focused on her task of washing the dishes and she didn't notice him at first as her hips swayed and shimmied, her blond hair falling to brush against her flushed cheeks and her lips shaping the words of the song. Natsu paused for a moment and simply took in the sight of her and felt his chest become almost uncomfortably warm with his affection for her. He had known he loved her long before this, but if he'd had any doubts, they were completely gone now. He loved this woman more than anything he had ever loved before and it made his grin turn a tad bit silly.

Creeping up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight when she jumped with a squeak, his grin growing even wider.

"Natsu!" she exclaimed, one of her soapy hands coming up to press against her racing heart. "You scared the crap out of me! When did you get home?"

Nuzzling into the crook of her neck, he breathed in the clean smell of her, his shoulders completely relaxing and the stress of his day finally melting away. "About twenty minutes ago. Just got done with a shower. I figured you wouldn't be too fond of me tracking ash everywhere."

She leaned back against his chest, turning her head so she could catch sight of his face in the corner of her eye. "Good call. How was work?"

He sighed. "Pretty shitty. But nothing that being here with you can't fix."

Lucy could feel her heart melt a little at that. It still surprised her sometime just how unintentionally romantic Natsu could be. And what really made it special to her was that he wasn't saying it to please her, he was saying it simply because he meant it. And she loved him all the more for it. Turning in his arms, she brought her hands up to cup the sides of his face. She traced the dark circles under his eyes with her thumbs with a little frown.

"You must be starving. Sit down and I'll warm up some left overs." Before she could slip from his arms, however, he tightened his grip on her and reached up to grab one of her hands, his other hand falling to her hip. She squeaked as he began to gently sway to the sound of a slow song that had come on over the radio. "What are you doing?"

He pressed her a little bit closer to him, his eyes sparkling with warmth and amusement. "Dancing. What does it look like?"

She huffed out a laugh. "Well I got that. But why are you dancing?"

With a grin, he spun her out then back into his arms with a skill she didn't know he had. "Do I need a reason? I feel like dancing."

She didn't bother trying to object and simply threw back her head with a laugh as he dipped her dramatically over his arm. They continued that way through the next three songs that came on, going from slow, to silly and finally to sensual as he pressed their hips intimately together, his eyes intently on hers. She felt her breath catch for a moment at the emotion in his eyes before her lips tipped up into a soft smile. She brought one hand up to trace his lips.

"I love you," she whispered. His smile only widened and he pressed his lips against hers chastely.

"I know," he whispered against her. "I love you too."

* * *

_(AN: When I first started this story, I intended for it to be a little one shot that was cute and to help me keep up my game while I was stuck on my other stories. But then I started hearing how much you guys loved it and the story line just wouldn't leave me alone. So this happened. I'm not sure how far I'm going to take it so I'm going to keep the story labeled as complete and just add little drabbles to it when the mood strikes me. This by no means will become a full fledged story. It's just something cute and full of Nalu goodness. I hope you enjoyed it! I adore you all!)_

Jane


	3. Part III

**Attractive Forces**

Part III

With a soft sigh, Natsu rolled over, his arm automatically reaching for the warm, curvy body of his girlfriend. When he came up empty, his eyes blinked open, fuzzy with sleep and confusion. It wasn't often that he woke up alone. Often times, he was the early riser and he was the one to force Lucy out of bed in the mornings.

More recently, Lucy had decided to go to a community college to get her degree in journalism, so she had been the one to get up early and come to bed late. After the first few months, seeing how stressed she had become, Natsu had tried to convince her to take a lighter load instead of staying full time and taking shifts at the restaurant. But Lucy had been adamant in her desire to graduate on time.

"_Why is this so important, Luce? Do you hate the restaurant that much?" Natsu asked after she had snapped at him for distracting her from her studying for her upcoming midterms. _

_Sighing in frustration, Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew that she wasn't truly annoyed at her boyfriend. Coming back to school had been much harder than she had anticipated and she unfortunately had taken to snapping at her boyfriend more often than not. _

_Getting to her feet from her desk, she walked forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, sighing with contentment when he automatically wrapped around her and pressed a kiss in her hair._

"_It's not that I hate the restaurant. I just…" she paused, trying to think of how to explain her desire to really be something to him. "It's just that being with you, building this life with you has made me happier than I have ever been."_

_He smiled and tipped up her chin for a passionate but brief kiss. "You make me happy too."_

_She beamed up at him. "I know. And being so happy with you has made me want to be happy in every part of my life. And that means dusting off old dreams that I had put on the back burner when I left home. One of those dreams that I've had since I was a kid was to get a degree in journalism and one day open my own newspaper. I know that's a long way away but if I can start the steps toward it, then I'm that much closer to true happiness."_

_He seemed to consider her a moment. "That makes sense. I just don't want you to work yourself to the bone trying to get those dreams. Don't forget the here and now when you're striving for your future, okay?"_

_She leaned up and kissed him. "I could never forget you, Natsu. You're everything to me."_

Since that day, Natsu had left her alone about her studying, but Lucy had also stopped snapping at him as much and knew to take frequent breaks when the studying got to be too much. But the last week, she had seemed a little off. A little quieter and she seemed to be…sad. Natsu hadn't asked her about it yet, but this was the third night in a row that he had woken to find her side empty. It was starting to get worrisome.

Rolling off the bed, Natsu ran a hand through his hair and shuffled out of the bedroom. Seeing the light for the living room on, he headed there. When he reached the doorway, he paused at what he found. She sat curled up on the couch, her knees tucked up into her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs and seemed to be looking at something on the television. Turning to see what she was looking at, he saw she had paused a video so that the screen was filled with the image of an older blond, mid laugh, with a small blond child wrapped in her arms grinning up at her. He was struck by the similarities of the woman and his girlfriend. They had the same long blond hair and bright, beautiful smile.

"Hey, what are you watching?" he asked gently, walking over to the couch and settling next to her.

She blinked and seemed to just notice him, reaching up to wipe a few tears from her cheeks. Looking over at him, she smiled sadly and moved to curl up against him.

"That's my mother. She died when I was ten."

He wrapped his arms around her, his heart squeezing at the raw grief he heard in her voice. She pressed her wet face against his neck and simply breathed in his scent for a moment. Natsu simply rubbed her back gently and let her compose herself.

When she pulled back and seemed to have calmed down, he finally broke the silence.

"She's very beautiful. You look just like her."

She beamed at the compliment, her eyes nostalgic. "She always used to say that beauty doesn't make a person and that all people, beautiful or ugly, had to work on themselves as people rather than how they look. She was a kind woman."

He paused for a moment before foraging on. "What happened?"

Lucy's smile fell and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "A car accident. There was a bad storm and she left to grab a few things from the store before we were stuck at the house and someone on the other side of the road hydroplaned and hit her head on. She and the other driver died instantly."

"I'm sorry, Luce."

She sighed deeply. "Her birthday is tomorrow. Every year, I remember a little less about her and so I watch the home videos with her in them over and over again until I can remember her voice like it was yesterday."

There was a moment of silence before Lucy grabbed the remote and hit play to resume the video. Natsu sat and watched the video with her three times before Lucy finally turned it off. They sat in the silence that followed for a few moments before she turned to look up at him. "She would have loved you."

Natsu looked down at her with a small smile. "If she's anything like you, I would have loved her too."

Lucy blinked back her tears and chuckled wetly. "I love you so much, Natsu. I don't know what I would do without you."

He pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You'll never have to worry about that again. I'm here until the end."

Lucy bit her lip and closed her eyes, a few tears escaping. Her whole life, it felt like it had built up to meeting Natsu and building this wonderful thing with him. Every part of her, everything that made her up, clicked with him. She had never really been one to believe in soulmates, but with Natsu it felt like when she saw him, she could breathe again. She had never imagined that she could love one person as completely as she did him. The best part of it was that she knew, just from the way he looked at her, that he was just as completely gone for her and she was for him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, all the good, all the bad. She wanted all the children, the house, the aging, _everything_.

Opening her eyes, Lucy sat up on her knees and swung a leg over so she was straddling his lap. Reaching up, she framed his face in her hands, her eyes intent and serious on his. He smiled up at her, his hands rubbing up and down her back soothingly.

"Marry me," she whispered. "Will you marry me, Natsu?"

His eyes widened and his hands paused on her back. For a long moment, he didn't say anything, just looked up at her, his lips parted slightly and his eyes wide as they looked up at her. Finally, he blinked a few times and swallowed. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion, his accent thick with his surprise.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" he rasped.

She smiled at him, rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks. "Well, it's my line now. So? Will you marry me, Natsu Dragneel?"

He pretended to pout for a moment, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Where's my ring? You can't ask a man to marry you and not have a ring."

She shook her head at him, her smile big and bright. She could already see the answer in the way he tightened his grip on her and brought her a little closer and the way his eyes shinned up at her with love. "I promise I'll buy you the prettiest ring I can find. But you have an answer me first."

He threw back his head and laughed before he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and brought her forward for a deep, bruising kiss. "Of course I'll marry you, you silly girl," he whispered against her lips. "I love you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their lips together again, her heart beating a wild, happy rhythm in her ears. "I love you so much," she whispered between kisses. "You make me so happy."

He chuckled and lifted her shirt over her body and bringing their bare chests together. "Not nearly as happy as you make me, Luce."

* * *

_(AN: I have no reason for this other than, after I wrote If Time Permits update, I felt unsatisfied and sad so I decided to write something for fun, and this popped into my head. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you to those of you that have enjoyed the story so far! I adore you all!)_

Jane


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